Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/215

Rh ASCENTS.] AERONAUTICS 197 iscent om the rystal alace on eptemher , 1862. scent om Wol- )n on Sep iinber 5, S62. he great- it height rer
 * ached.

t !iem to leave the car, it was resolved to anchor the balloon for the night and to make an ascent in the early morning. Accordingly, at 4.30 A.M., on August 21, the earth was left, there being altogether five persons in the car. It was a dull, warm, cloudy morning, with the sky overcast. In about an hour the height of 3 miles was attained, and the temperature had fallen to 23, having been 58 on the earth before leaving. The aspect of the clouds under for mation before and during the rising of the sun was mar vellous in the extreme, and baffled description. There were seen shining masses of cloud in mountain chains, rising perpendicularly from the plain, with summits of dazzling whiteness, forming vast ravines, down which the balloon appeared to glide, or pass through their sides, into other valleys, until, as the balloon rose far above, all appeared a mighty sea of white cloud. The descent was effected about a quarter past seven, and the transition from the magnificent scene above the clouds to the ugly prospect of the dreary earth as seen early on a dull morning, with a uniform leaden sky, was most depressing. The place of descent was near Biggleswade. The most noteworthy fact in connection with the ascent, September 1, 1862, was, that from the balloon the clouds were observed to be forming below, and seen to be follow ing the whole course of the Thames from the Nore to Richmond. The clouds were above the river following all its windings, and extending neither to the right nor to the left. It was about the time of high water at London Bridge, and the phenomenon was no doubt connected with the warm water from the sea. As in the ascent, September 5, 1862, the greatest height ever reached was attained, it is desirable to give the account of it in some detail, and in Mr Glaisher s own words. It is only necessary to premise that it was intended on this occasion to ascend as high as possible. The fol lowing is an extract from Mr Glaisher s account (British Association Report, 1862, pp. 383-385): This ascent had been delayed owing to the unfavcmrable state of the weather. The balloon left at Ih. 3ra. P.M. The temperature of the air was 59, and the dew-point 50. At the height of 1 mile it was 41, dew-point 38 ; and shortly afterwards wo entered a cloud of about 1100 feet in thickness, in which the temperature of the air fell to 36^, the dew-point being the same, thus indicating that the air was here saturated with moisture. On emerging from the cloud at Ih. 17m. we came upon a flood of strong sunlight, with a beautiful blue sky, without a cloud above us, and a magni ficent sea of cloud below, its surface being varied with endless hills, hillocks, mountain chains, and many snow-white masses rising from it. I here tried to take a view with the camera ; but we were rising with too great rapidity, and going round and round too quickly, to enable me to do so. The flood of light, however, was so great that all I should have needed would have been a momentary exposure, as Dr Hill Norris had kindly furnished me with extremely sensitive dry plates for the purpose. We reached 2 miles in height at Ih. 21m. The temperature had fallen to the freezing-point, and the dew-point to 26. We were 3 miles high at Ih. 28m., with a tem perature of 18, and dew-point 13. At Ih. 39m. we had reached 4 miles, and the temperature was 8, and dew-point- 15 ; in ten minutes more we had reached the fifth mile, and the temperature had passed below zero, and then read- 2, and at this point no &amp;lt;lew was observed on Kegnault s hygrometer when cooled down to -30; but a dew-point obtained from the readings of dry and wet gave - 36. Up to this time I had taken observations with comfort. I had experienced no difficulty in breathing, whilst Mr Coxwell, in consequence of the necessary exertions he had to make, had breathed with difficulty for some time. At Ih. 51m. the barometer reading was 11 05 inches, but this requires a sxibtractive correction of 25 inch, as found by comparison with Lord Wrottesley s standard barometer just before starting. I afterwards read the dry thermo meter as - 5 ; this must have been about Ih. 52m. or later; I could not see the column of mercury in the wet bulb thermometer; nor afterwards the hands of the watch, nor the fine divisions on any instrument. I asked Mr Coxwell to help me to read the instru ments, as I experienced a difficulty in seeing. In consequence, however, of the rotatory motion of the balloon, which had continued without ceasing since the earth had been left, the valve-line had become twisted, and he had to leave the car and mount into the ring above to adjust it. At this time I looked at the barometer, and found it to be 10 inches, still decreasing fast; its true reading therefore was 9| inches, implying a height of 29,000 feet. Shortly afterwards I laid my arm upon the table, possessed of its full vigour, and on being desirous of using it, I found it powerless it must have lost its power momentarily. I tried to move the other arm, and found it powerless also. I then tried to shake myself, and succeeded in shaking my body. I seemed to have no limbs. I then looked at the barometer, and whilst doing so my head fell on my left shoulder. I struggled and shook my body again, but could not move my arms. I got my head upright, but for an instant only, when it fell on my right shoulder, and then I fell backwards, my back resting against the side of the car, and my head on its edge ; an this position my eyes were directed towards Mr Coxwell in the ring. When I shook my body I seemed to have full power over the muscles of the back, and considerable power over those of the neck, but none over either my arms or my legs ; in fact, I seemed to have none. As in the case of the arms, all muscular power was lost in an instant from my back and neck. I dimly saw Mr Coxwell in the ring, and endeavoured to speak, but could not ; when in an instant intense black darkness came : the optic nerve finally lost power suddenly. I was still conscious, with as active a brain as at the present moment whilst writing this. I thought 1 had been seized with asphyxia, and that I should experience no more, as death would come unless we speedily descended : other thoughts were actively entering my mind, when I suddenly became unconscious as on going to sleep. I cannot tell anything of the sense of hearing ; the perfect stillness and silence of the regions 6 miles from the earth (and at this time we were between 6 and 7 miles high) is such that no sound reaches the ear. My last observation was made at Ih. 54m. at 29,000 feet. I suppose two or three minutes fully were occupied between my eyes becoming insensible to seeing fine divisions and ]h. 54m., and then that two or three minutes more passed till I was insensible ; there fore I think this took place at about Ih. 56m. or Ih. 57m. Whilst powerless I heard the words temperature and observation, and I knew Mr Coxwell was in the car speaking to me, and endeavour ing to arouse me ; therefore consciousness and hearing had returned. I then heard him speak more emphatically, but 1 could not see, speak, or move. I heard him again say, Do try now do. Then 1 saw the instruments dimly, then Mr Coxwell, and very shortly saw clearly. I rose in my scat and looked round, as though wak ing from sleep, though not refreshed by sleep, and said to Mr Coxwell, I have been insensible. He said, You have ; and 1 too, very nearly. I then drew up my legs, which had been extended before me, and took a pencil in my hand to begin observations. Mr Coxwell told me that he had lost the use of his hands, which were black, and I poured brandy over them. &quot; I resumed my observations at 2h. 7m., recording the barometer reading at 11 53 inches and temperature - 2. I suppose that threa or four minutes were occupied from the time of my hearing the words temperature and observation till I began to observe. If so, then returning consciousness came at 2h. 4m., and this gives seven minutes for total insensibility. I found the water in the vessel supplying the wet bulb thermometer, which I had by fre quent disturbances kept from freezing, was one solid mass of ice ; and it did not all melt until after we had been on the ground some time. &quot; Mr Coxwell told me that whilst in the ring he felt it piercingly cold ; that hoar-frost was all round the neck of the balloon ; on at tempting to leave the ring he found his hands frozen, and he had to place his arms on the ring and drop down ; that he thought for a moment I had lain back to rest myself ; that he spoke to me without eliciting a reply ; that he then noticed my legs projected and my aims hung down by my side ; that my countenance was serene and placid, without the earnestness and anxiety he had noticed before going into the ring, and then it struck him I was insensible. He wished to approach me, but could not, and he felt insensibility coming over himself ; that he became anxious to open the valve, but in consequence of his having lost the use of his hands he could not, and ultimately did so by seizing the cord with his teeth, and dipping his head two or three times, until the balloon took a decided turn downwards. &quot;No inconvenience followed this insensibility, and when we dropped it was in a country where no conveyance of any kind could be obtained, so that I had to walk between 7 and 8 miles. The descent was at first very rapid ; we passed downwards 3 miles in nine minutes ; the balloon s career was then checked, and it finally descended in the centre of a large grass field at Cold Wes- ton, 74 miles from Ludlow. &quot; In this ascent six pigeons were taken up. One was thrown out at the height of 3 miles, when it extended its wings and dropped as a piece of paper ; a second, at 4 miles, flew vigorously round and round, apparently taking a dip each time ; a third was thrown out between 4 and 5 miles, and it fell downwards as a stone ; a fourth was thrown out at 4 miles on descending ; it flew in a circle, and shortly alighted on the top of the balloon. The two remaining